Member Reviews
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC of Her Housekeeper by Samantha Hayes.
Author Samantha Hayes is a favorite thriller writer in my library so this was an auto-request for me.
A female interloper in the form of an alleged housekeeper disrupts a woman’s personal life as she and her family reside in her friend’s luxury home waiting for fire damage repairs to her own house.
Part of a quadruplet (acronym of GALS) of childhood friends, all of whom desired her present-day husband Matt, one of whom is gone, protagonist Gina accepts one friend’s offer to stay in her grand Victorian Genoa House while she travels on safari.
A strange woman, Mary, shows up unannounced, her creepy son soon in tow, claiming to be Annie’s housekeeper and then moving in with a tale of domestic abuse. Both Mary and her son Tyler seem intent on harm, but with what motive?
The plot divulges hints and even expositions of danger but we the reader must (eagerly in my case) read on to learn *why.*
Samantha Hayes has written another gripping revenge thriller. The twists in
this story slam! Around the halfway point the plot pivots and from there my fingers urgently page-flipped. Then even more curveballs follow. TW: child and sexual abuse, fortunately non-graphic.
Her books - including this story - are written in first-person POV, are action- and suspense-packed, with riveting, unraveling mysteries.
The ending was shocking. Samantha Hayes is always adept at portraying at turns, human weakness, cruelty, kindness, love, and obsession.
Sadly, I love and agree with the last sentence.
Four stars! (Point off: Even though Gina had to be stupid enough to sustain the narrative arc, I just lost patience with her naiveté.)
Some people have completely lost sight of their high school friends, but some are still in touch many years later. When something devastating happens that turns your life upside down, one of them reaches out immediately to help you out, even without you having to ask a single thing.
This almost seems too good to be true, but you accept wholeheartedly. And often when you feel this way, it is indeed too good to be true...
Who are you to change the rules though? After all it's not your house.
Gina can not seem to shake off the feeling there is more to it than the eye can see and she decides to start digging. When she thought her world was slowly starting to recover from the upheaval, another bomb dropped...
I had a lot of fun trying to figure out who the housekeeper was and what she wanted to achieve. I did find out for myself, but what I could never have guessed were the twists the author treats us to at the end. The were leaving me speechless.
I liked the way the author took us back and forth between the past and the present and I loved the fact that people who were adversaries can see the light and unite. 5 stars
Thank you
Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC. The publication date is the 11th Nov. You invite a housekeeper into your home what could possible go wrong?!
Wow, what a book it was addictive, spine tingling and jaw dropping with many twists that were insane!
The character Mary I liked in her some aspects but on the other hand remind me to never get a housekeeper!
That twist it was mind blowing absolutely phenomenal!! I can’t stop thinking about it! One word wow this book is a must read I’d highly recommend it! 😊
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Gina and Matt’s are staying at Annies house after thrie own house sets on fire due to some faulty wiring.,
When Annie’s housekeeper, Mary shows up, things for the couple start to change.
Gina starts to feel something is off, when Mary moves in with her son and doesn't quite know what to do.
WOW WOW! what a thrilling read this. It is creepy and filled with drama and I did not, could not guess what was happening next.
Samantha Hayes is a terrific storyteller and this novel will really make your hair stand up.. it's brilliant.
This book was so full on and i was desperate to find out what the hell was going on!
Well written characters but i did feel Mary was a little over the top, i certainly don't think i would have had her in the house let alone taking care of my children.
My goodness the twists in this book really kept me on my toe's and i didn't guess the ending.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy.
Her Housekeeper is full of twists and turns that will have you reading long into the night.
Gina and Matt are temporarily living at their friend Annie's house while she is travelling after the horrific fire that destroyed their home.
Chaos surrounds their young family so when the housekeeper knocks at the door Gina lets her in.
Not only does she let her in before she knows it Mary and her son are living upstairs.
Something isn't right with Mary, things just seem off.
Does Annie really trust Mary and what is happening at her home.
Gina has a lot of unanswered questions.
Twists and turns keep the pages turning.
Expect the unexpected when Samantha Hayes is the author.
You wont be disappointed.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the privilege of reading and reviewing Her Housekeeper.
Gina and her family have a problem - after her husband Matt’s cheap installation of a light fixture, their house burned down, luckily while they were away for the evening. Matt, Gina and their children, toddler Tommy and newborn Gracie, were staying in hotels until Gina’s actress friend told them she was going to be out of the country for a few weeks. Being able to stay in a fancy house while theirs was being rebuilt was a dream come true…until it became a nightmare.
They’re just getting settled when someone is at the door, acting as if they were expecting her arrival. She’s the housekeeper, Mary, and after Gina texts Annie to verify she’s legit, she is there *almost* every day…until the time she shows up with a suitcase and a son, saying she left her abusive boyfriend and didn’t know where else to go. Again, Annie reassures Gina that it’s fine; there is plenty of room for Mary and Travis, and now Grace will have help with the kids. Unfortunately, it’s not fine…
There were tiny things in this that I didn’t care for, like slight medical inaccuracy and the dropping of a couple minor plot lines. I also thought the author was planting too many red herrings, as some things were obvious from the beginning. Oooor…maybe that was on purpose, to make the reader think they have the ending pegged, then twisting everything around with several shocking revelations! This was a really fun read, with a past/present format, many surprises and an ending I never saw coming. Definitely a page turner, I give this one 3.5 stars, rounded up!
(Thank you to Bookouture for inviting me on this book’s tour. “Her Housekeeper” is slated to be released in November 11, 2024.)
Her Housekeeper
By: Samantha Hayes
Pub Date: November 11, 2024
Publisher: Bookouture
Hayes always transports us into a wicked psychological scenario, where someone is very deceiving and I am HERE FOR IT! In this case, our main character Mary says she is the housekeeper. She seems a little to close to my husband…..
She is snooping…
She is moving in….
Who is she….
What does she want from me....
This one grabbed my attention right away. Thank you Bookouture and Hayes for the gifted e-ARC
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of Her Housekeeper by Samantha Hayes due to be published November 11, 2024.
After Gina and Matt’s house burns, her friend, Annie, offers them her house while she is on vacation. When Annie’s housekeeper, Mary, shows up, Gina is a little surprised, but lets her in. When Mary wrangles her way into the house to stay with her son, Gina gets suspicious. Who are these people, and is Annie really on vacation?
Oh, the secrets we keep – everyone in this book has one! I couldn’t read it fast enough to see what happened. It was full of twists, turns, and shocks – the ending was jaw-dropping. It is a must read! I had read Mother of the Bride – it was good, but this one was even better!
#NetGalley #SamanthaHayes #Bookouture #HerHousekeeper
Great book by Samantha Hayes. I was on pins and needles waiting to see how this one would end. Plenty of suspense and sent chills down my spine. Great read on a rainy dark night.
I didn’t even make it past the first page without be uncomfortable. That was enough for me. I unfortunately had to DNF the book because I was uncomfortable.. I definitely think there should be trigger warnings listed at the beginning of the book. Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Samantha for the ARC..